Lear Radio Show Old Time Radio Show MP3 CD 10 Episodes

This topical, issues-oriented show lasted for just over a year, running from September 16, 1945 to October 6, 1946. In the show, sponsored by Lear, maker of radios for aviation and the home, Welles expounded on topics both topical and general. Each episode lasted 15 minutes with one sponsor break. In the first episode, for example, Welles discussed bullfighting, political predictions, and responded to a listener who was taking him to task on his foreign policy stance. Later topics turned to such topics as the Office of Price Administration and nuclear testing on Bikini Atoll. The show eventually became more political in tone, and its high point of notoriety came in July of 1946, when Welles began a series of programs dedicated to the case of Isaac Woodard, an African-American World War II veteran. In February 1946, Woodard, returning home to his family, was beaten in a bus station by a South Carolina policeman so badly that he was blinded. Woodard’s case was brought to Welles’ attention, and Welles’ outspokenness on the issue likely led to the eventual dropping of the show in October. Lear had already dropped its sponsorship of the show shortly before the Woodard story broke, due to poor ratings. Once libel suits were threatened against ABC due to Welles’ vehement denunciation of the persons involved, Welles was ordered by ABC to present scripts for approval before each show (as per ABC’s policy for all broadcasters). Welles wrapped up his coverage of the Woodard case on August 25, 1946; the show lasted another six weeks, until October 6. The relative obscurity of the show and difficulty in listening to episodes of it has made the series a forgotten part of Welles’ radio career. In the Almanac, we get Welles in a number of guises: raconteur, political observer, civil rights crusader, and social critic.
Includes 10 Episodes!